Monday – an unusually grumpy swim in Talkin Tarn; the weather was a bit nasty and there were youths fishing. The sky and the water were both grey, and it seemed that nothing was going to cheer me up. Still, it was another 2K at a not unreasonable pace, so probably useful if not really much fun.
Tuesday – a run! On the moor! The first run since the Swaledale Marathon in June, so quite significant, and really very pleasant. The heather is just coming into flower and there were even a few butterflies. It was only 6 miles or so, but it was good to be running again, even if I did end up with a sore knee (this seems to have started a week or so ago, so not strictly a running injury).
Wednesday – we nipped over to Ullswater first thing on Wednesday morning for a sneaky 35 minutes in a lake best described as lively. Probably not the fastest swim ever, but certainly a good workout trying to get through some fairly impressive waves. Not exactly warm and relaxing, but definitely invigorating.
Thursday – 10 miles on the tandem with A on a beautiful (and hot) sunny evening. We really must do this more often; perhaps more sunny evenings might encourage us.
Saturday – back in Talkin Tarn for another 2 – 2.5K, but this time in sunshine and lovely flat water. Unusually, another couple were swimming at the same time as us, but even this failed to dampen my enthusiasm. I think I have forgiven Talkin for Monday.
Sunday – a sunny morning took me up onto the moor with the mountain bike, while A ran the same route. It was strangely busy (cyclists, walkers, even runners!), given that we rarely see a soul up there. I suspect that this might be explained by the time of year; in most (normal) years the heather would be in full bloom by now, but this year it is still not quite there. Even though the heather might not be at its best it was still beautiful, and if not quite filling the air with perfume, it did smell nice, and the bees were buzzing their approval.
The cycling was hard, as my bike handling skills off road are lamentable, especially when climbing over loose rock. It often seems OK until I have to stop! And then there are the weathered channels through the heather that aren’t as wide as the pedals. And maybe I should consider some different tyres? And am I supposed to lock the fork out on the uphill sections? I’ll probably never know. I had assumed it would be easier in the summer without the ice on the ground, but the slippery mud and overgrown tracks seem equally bothersome. I’m starting to think that it is easiest over crisp dry snow… but then the days are short and cold…
But back to today... following the lovely sunny morning, the rain poured down all afternoon...
